UnitedHealth Group Employee Reviews about "work life balance"
Updated 4 de Dec 2019
Pros
"Work from home using the provided laptop" (in 1216 reviews)
"Good work-life balance for working professionals" (in 830 reviews)
Cons
"Long work hrs, no work life balance" (in 362 reviews)
"Health insurance is expensive for employees" (in 345 reviews)
Reviews by divisions
Reviews about "work life balance"
Return to all Reviews"Great place to work."
StarStarStarStarStarI have been working at UnitedHealth Group
Pros
Work life balance and vacation time.
Cons
There is constant change and one has to adapt rapidly.
Advice to Management
Clear and communication and direction is needed.
UnitedHealth Group2019-02-27- Helpful (687)
"Very heads-down"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookNo opinion of CEOI have been working at UnitedHealth Group for less than a year
Pros
I will preface this review with a statement you need to heed when reading this review as well as any reviews for this company -- "It depends on your area." This is a GIGANTIC company and YMMV depending on your group. Keep that in mind when reading. Anyway, I've been here only 6 months, but I think I have enough of a feel for Optum to write a review. The positives: Great work/life balance: I never have to... stay late, work on weekends, etc. I get 23 vacation days and my manager encourages me to use them AND completely unplug while away. Beautiful office: I work at the new Optum office in Eden Prairie. Building is modern and comfortable. Full size gym and locker room, and workout classes. Great parking ramp with a skyway so you never need to go outside in the rain or snow! Work from home: VERY progressive with WFH! I can work from wherever I want. if I want to WFH one day, I can. If I want to WFH the whole week, I can do that, too. No one questions you. Total autonomy No drama: This is a very heads down place! I can't stress that enough. No one socializes with each other -- most of the time, you never even talk to your cube neighbors (because they're probably working from home). This is a positive for me though -- after working in some high drama offices, this is a refreshing change. All meetings are over webex: Great news if you hate in-person meetings like I do -- because there are very few! In the 6 months I've been here, I've had 4 in person meetings. This is also a con because you never meet your coworkers - read the con list for more info. 30 minute "best practice" meeting times: You will not get invited to 2+ hour meetings, ever. Nearly all meetings are only 30 minutes. You might have the one-off meeting that's an hour, but it's rare. Good, standardized PM practices. But some of the documentation requirements are too rigid and can slow progress down. Our group is trying to move to 100% agile. Slowly.... All of my projects so far have been waterfall SDLC. Although as a new person, it would help to have a PM to shadow on some of these documentation/audit practices. I've had to learn as I go. - Great cafeteria with cheap prices. I can get a lunch here cheaper than I can bring it from home. -Very engaging training classes!!! All training classes are over LearnSource (i.e. your computer) but the videos are well done and entertaining.
Show MoreCons
-Building seems empty because so many people WFH. It's almost kind of...sad. Such a nice building but no one is there. -Internet explorer is the browser of choice. Yuck. You have to have special permissions to download Google Chrome or Firefox on your computer. -If you like socializing with your coworkers, this is NOT a place for you! I can't stress that enough!! You will NOT meet your new BFF here. Everyone... is very heads-down and focused on work -- no one chit chats about football or True Detective! You will not have coworkers stopping by your desk (to chat about a TV show OR to even chat about work). Most of my days, I don't talk to anyone in person. It's kind of depressing -- and I'm an introvert! There are no happy hours, social events outside of work, etc (this is a positive for me because I hate that stuff). -Lots of contractors. Not that it's a bad thing - I've had great experiences with the PM contractors. They obviously don't last as long as the employees, and there's more contractor PMs than employee PMs. -Difficult, as a new person, to know "who's who." There is no face-to-face meetings, so as a PM, it's tough to know who does what, since there's no face to put with the name. I struggle with this a lot, as I'm not used to this extreme of a "remote" workforce! -No wifi for your phone. Wifi is only available for visitors and you must have a user name and password. -Nearly all social media websites are blocked. Not really a con, but something you might want to know. You won't be browsing facebook at work! -LOTS of meetings. Sure, the meetings aren't in person, they're over Webex, but you will have a LOT of them. -Some "know-it-all" ego-driven coworkers, especially on the tech side. But this is typical of IT in general. I've witnessed this at every org in which I've worked.
Show MoreAdvice to Management
Get some org charts!
UnitedHealth Group2015-08-13 - Helpful (88)
"Good company, great culture, needs process improvment"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at UnitedHealth Group full-time for more than 3 years
Pros
Work life balance Great senior team Fun team/volunteer and company activities Generous PTO Company cares about its employees
Cons
A lot of processes are old and have not changed. There are many instances where the old processes can not keep up with the company's growth. Like any other large companies, there are many moving parts that can be hard to keep track of. Can be very difficult to move within the company internally.
UnitedHealth Group2019-04-25 - UnitedHealthcare | Division of UnitedHealth Group
"Product Director"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookNo opinion of CEOI have been working at UnitedHealth Group full-time for more than a year
Pros
Good work life balance Great for education and personal development Remote working environment
Cons
Heavy level of politics Difficulty navigating larger enterprise Constantly changing organizational environment
UnitedHealth Group2019-12-05 - UnitedHealthcare | Division of UnitedHealth GroupHelpful (1)
"Great Place To Work"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookNo opinion of CEOI have been working at UnitedHealth Group full-time for more than 3 years
Pros
Work-life balance, great tools and resources available, supportive environment
Cons
Employee benefits, salary range slightly lower than competitors
UnitedHealth Group2019-11-23 - Optum | Division of UnitedHealth GroupHelpful (1)
"Very Good Company"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at UnitedHealth Group full-time for more than 5 years
Pros
1. Work from Home options 2. Work Life Balance 3. New Projects 4. New Technologies 5. Peaceful Environment 6. Good Collaboration 7. Great Bonuses 8. Good Benefits and many more
Cons
Salary increments most of the time is 1%.
UnitedHealth Group2019-11-06 - Helpful (2)
"MEH"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendI have been working at UnitedHealth Group full-time for more than 5 years
Pros
benefits except health insurance, flexibility
Cons
poor work life balance, 60-70hr work weeks, documentation requirements are strangling
UnitedHealth Group2019-11-15 - Helpful (1)
"Great work environment."
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsNeutral OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at UnitedHealth Group full-time for more than a year
Pros
Good work-life balance for working professionals.
Cons
Challenging industry to be in. Comes with pressure and lots of stress.
UnitedHealth Group2019-10-25 - Helpful (2)
"Not the Best, Not the Worst"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookNo opinion of CEOI worked at UnitedHealth Group full-time for more than 3 years
Pros
+ Competitive salary and benefits I felt that salary offers on initial hiring ($55k-$65k range) were competitive with the broader market. PTO benefit of 23 days for <5 years of service (28 afterwards) is fantastic. Company also offers 15% discounted stock purchase plan. + Good work life balance I hardly ever worked over 40 hours during non-peak times such (However, this is entirely dependent on your... team/function -- your experience will vary.) 50 hour weeks are normal during close periods for finance functions as well as the occasional working Saturday/holiday during quarter closes. Never had issues taking PTO here and there but extended PTO (around 5+ days) during busy times is at the discretion of your manager. Working from home on occasion (whether with purpose or just to save a day of commuting) was never a problem for me but this will very much be team dependent. +Challenging work and plenty of opportunity This organization is so enormous with so many moving parts that there is always a new problem to solve and a better way to do things. Additionally, the internal job board always has an abundance of postings. There is an incredible amount of internal movement within the organization which can help keep things fresh if you feel you've grown bored with your current day-to-day and are ready to accomplish something new without leaving UHG entirely.
Show MoreCons
-- Budget targets are king Raises during good years for top performers staying within the same salary grade will be in the 2% range, and the bonus pool is typically funded between 50% - 70% of the maximum payout (again, during good times). If you want your pay to beat inflation you will generally need to be aggressive and shop yourself around the org or look elsewhere. If your team goes to happy hour or has a... working lunch session you will be paying for it yourself unless your manager is feeling generous that day. -- Lack of attachment to broader organization Due to the sheer size of the organization and a derth of little things (pizza parties, happy hours, mixers, company swag etc.) I did not develop an attachment to the organization as a whole. I did feel very much just like an employee id number. If you are looking for an organization where you will have company outings, events, or unique perks that will give you the warm fuzzies, look elsewhere. There is no real culture in this company for FP&A -- mostly just heads down, get-in get-out, with the occasional water cooler conversation. Some will care about this more than others depending on your personality type. If you can live with the above, UHG is a fine place to work. If not, you will be miserable here -- look elsewhere.
Show MoreAdvice to Management
Be genuine and transparent in your decision-making rationale. Don't sip or spew too much company kool-aid. Your employees will respect you for it even if they don't necessarily agree with you. Else you might find resentment bubbling under the surface.
UnitedHealth Group2019-11-06 - Helpful (2)
"Pollyanna Clique"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookNo opinion of CEOI worked at UnitedHealth Group full-time for more than a year
Pros
Years of service given back when you leave and come back
Cons
No work life balance. Software poor and burdened with drop down menus for reports. Constantly cleaning up admin errors. Departments don't speak to each other, and there is no directory or POC for any department. If you reach out to anyone other than your lead or manager, you are marked a trouble maker. If you are a good worker you are expected to constantly reach out to unproductive coworkers and assist; even... though, they are making the same salary or more than you. Management is constantly implementing changes in processes without measurable benefits. Cliquish teams with managers having obvious favorites. Staff members go directly to manager with any negative comments you make. Mid management top heavy.
Show MoreAdvice to Management
The job of the new person is not to take over the crappiest assignment because you and your cohorts that have been there 10 plus years are just skating through to retirement.
UnitedHealth Group2019-11-02
Found 1188 reviews